In 2006, Arizona issued a ruling that in order to prevent contamination of the Lower Santa Cruz River, Pima County would need to meet stringent nutrient discharge requirements by 2015. As a result, Pima County developed a $720-million Regional Optimization Plan to modernize existing facilities and services as well as build the $172-million Agua Nueva Water Reclamation Facility.
In December 2010, CH2M Hill was selected to design, build and operate the Agua Nueva facility. As the DBO firm, CH2M Hill has been the unifying force throughout preliminary design, permitting and construction, says Greg Fischer, vice president of CH2M Hill. The company also completed acceptance testing and will provide operations and maintenance for 20 years.